Tag Archives: Canada 2019 Election

To paraphrase a recent Washington Post article, during his nine years in power Stephen Harper avoided topics he did not wish to talk about whenever possible. Burnaby Now reported that the former Conservative Prime Minister projected a friendly, approachable image at his rallies, “except for that part where we’re not allowed to get anywhere near him or ask questions. I can’t help but think how every little detail is deliberate. Nothing is left to chance.” The National Post adds, “To this day, Liberal henchpersons are happy to excoriate Harper for having tried to ‘game the system’ and avoid scrutiny” – but in this election Trudeau is clearly out-Harpering Harper.

On October 21, Canadians will once again get a chance to exercise their right to decide which political party will guide the nation for the next four years. So I emailed each of the candidates in our riding, requesting an interview. Hopefully their answers will help each of us decide, who should I vote for?

At best, advance polling and projections depict the situation at a given point in time. The September 8, 2019, projections from 338Canada show the Green party continuing to maintain a healthy lead in four Vancouver Island ridings. However, in the midst of an intense three way race for second place, the data shows support for the Conservatives rising.

In the first of my interviews with the candidates, I visited the home of Mark de Bruijn. Cortes Islanders may remember him as a former principal of our elementary school; He has also worked as a science teacher, college lecturer and former biologist for Canada’s Department of Fisheries. Now Mark de Bruijn is the Green Party of Canada’s candidate for Powell River-North Island.